Japan anti-gambling-addiction plan, revealed
The government of Japan announced the anti-gambling-addiction plan to be enforced as it seeks to expand the gaming industry in the country.
Japan.- The casino segment will soon arrive in Japan and the government wants to take action to push responsible gambling. That’s why Japan’s anti-gambling-addiction plan was revealed, even before the integrated resort (IR) bidding process takes place.
The “basic plan of gambling addiction countermeasures” covers three years from fiscal year 2019 and affects the whole industry. Therefore, operators of pachinko parlours, and government-operated gambling venues like horse racing and keirin cycle racing tracks are included.
The government has asked them to remove cash withdrawal machines from their facilities, reported news agency Kyodo reported.
“We will create a healthy society by implementing thorough measures based on the basic plan in order to prevent people from finding themselves in difficult situations,” said Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga during a government meeting.
Japan’s anti-gambling-addiction plan also requires a warning about gambling addiction in advertisements. Furthermore, it sets a cap on online bets to be placed on horse races and other events.
Casino standards
Japan’s Cabinet approved in March standards for casino resorts, which require them to be built with big-scale hotels, far larger than currently exist in the country. Conference rooms and exhibition halls are also requirements for the integrated IR.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told a government meeting before the Cabinet’s approval that the country will aim for casino resorts of “unprecedentedly large scale and high quality”. The government aims to have three integrated resorts open at three locations by mid-2020s.
The facilities will feature hotels, conference rooms and shopping facilities. While the average-sized Japanese guest room features 50 square meters, a hotel with a casino would necessitate 2,000 rooms, exceeding the average 1,500 at three big Tokyo hotels.
